Clothes-washing machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD HILPERT AND ROBERT J. BIGGERSTAFF, OF BLANOHARD, IOWA.

CLOTHES-WASHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,232, dated November 28, 1882.

v 7 Application filedApril 19, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, LEONARD HILPER'I' and ROBERT J. BIGGERSTAFF, of Blanchard, in the county of Page and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clothes-Washing Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corrrsponding parts in both the figures.

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of our improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, part of the cover being removed.

The object of this invention is to facilitate the Washing of clothes and other fabrics, and also to prevent the said clothes and fabrics from being injured while being Washed.

The invention consists in the combination, with a clothes-washing machine constructed with a hollow perforated cylinder placed in a receiving box and provided with a hollow cone-plunger operated by a lever, of an elastic-backed hinge connecting the lever to a post which is secured to the tub, whereby the plunger will be driven straight down and the clothes will be quickly and thoroughly washed.

A represents a box or tub of suitable size, and to which are attached legs B, of such a length as to raise the said tub to a convenient height.

Within the tub A is placed a hollow cylinder, 0, the sides of which are perforated with numerous holes. The bottom D of the cylinder O is perforated with numerous holes, and is placed at a. little distance above the lower edge of the sides of the said cylinder, secured to the cylinder, so as to form a space or chamber to receive the dirty water. The lower edge of the cylinder (J is secured to the bottom of the tub A, and its upper end is secured in place by a cover, E, attached to the upper edge of the tub A, and which has a hole through its middle part to receive the upper end of the said cylinder 0.

F is a plunger, which is made in the form of a hollow cone, and of such a size as to work up and down freely within the cylinder 0.

To the apex of the plunger F is attached the lower end of a rod, G, the upper end of which is hinged to a lever, H. One end of the lever H is pivoted to a standard, I, by means of an elastic-backed hinge,which allows the lever H sufficient lougitudinai motion to overcome its natural tendency to travel in the arc of a circle and to maintain the parallel motion of the plunger-rod Gr. Said standard I may be bolted or otherwise secured to a side of the tub A'or to the cylinder 0. The other end of the lever H projects into such a position that it can be conveniently operated.

In using the machine a suitable quantity of soap and water is placed in the tub A, and the clothes to be washed are placed in the perforated hollow cylinder 0. The plunger F is then placed in the cylinder 0 and is worked up and down by its operating mechanism. As the plunger F is forced downward it applies pressure to the clothes and forces or squeezes out the water, which water escapes through the perforations in the cylinder 0. The descent of the hollow conical plunger also forces air down upon the clothes. As the plunger F is raised there is a tendency to form a vacuum beneath the said plunger, which allows the water to be forced by air-pressure from the tub A into the cylinder 0 and into and through theclothes, moving the clothes upon each otherand forcing them upward into the upper part of the cylinder 0, ready to be again forced down and squeezed by the next descent of the plunger, so that the clothes will be washed very quickly and thoroughly and without being injured.

Having thus described our invention, we claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- The combination, with a washing-machine having a hollow perforated cylinder, 0, a tub, A,and an open cover, E, of the conical plunger F, connecting-rod Gr, lever H, the post I, secured to the tub, and the elastic-backed hinge connecting the lever H to said postl, as shown and described;

LEONARD HILPERT. ROBERT J. nieenasfrAnr.

\Vitnesses:

HUGH LONG, CALVIN SKIMS. 

